The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the teams in the NFL who most need to acquire a wide receiver ahead of the league's trade deadline on November 5th. General Manager Omar Khan has had plenty of opportunities to land a big-name receiver, and he has certainly tried to bring some more talent to Pittsburgh at that position. The Steelers were a major player in the Brandon Aiyuk sweepstakes over the summer, and they were also in talks with the Las Vegas Raiders to land Davante Adams. Despite the efforts, Pittsburgh's wide receiver room still looks mostly the same.
The list of potential trade candidates for the Steelers continues to dwindle down as the deadline gets closer. There were rumors recently about the team trying to acquire Cooper Kupp, but it seems as though he is staying put with the Los Angeles Rams, as they are still in the running to win the NFC West. Another intriguing target was DeAndre Hopkins, who began the year with the Tennessee Titans, but was recently traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. Former Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger shared on the latest episode of Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger that Hopkins would have been an addition he wanted to see.
"I think Pittsburgh should probably have, and maybe they did try to make that move," Roethlisberger said. "I think him to Pittsburgh would have been an amazing move for the Steelers."
Roethlisberger spoke about how the move is great for the Chiefs. Hopkins may be on the tail-end of his playing career, but he will always be a threat in the passing game, especially with a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes. Not only is Hopkins a threat, but he attracts a lot of attention from a defense. This would have been good to have in Pittsburgh as Hopkins would have been able to free up George Pickens.
Hopkins was traded to Kansas City in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick, which is frustrating for Steelers fans considering that the organization definitely could have beaten that offer. The Chiefs definitely needed help at receiver, but Pittsburgh is desperate at the position. Hopkins began practicing with Kansas City immediately and appeared in their Week 8 game against Las Vegas. The veteran receiver caught two passes for 29 yards in his debut for the Chiefs.
He didn't blow up the stat sheet, but his production should increase as he gets more time to gel with his new teammates in Kansas City. Hopkins only played 23 snaps on Sunday, but he will continue to see more snaps as he continues to familiarize himself with the playbook.
Steelers Have Missed Out Repeatedly In The Receiver Market
Pittsburgh has missed out on receivers going all the way back to the start of free agency during the 2024 offseason. They had talks with Tyler Boyd during free agency, but couldn't come to an agreement, and he signed with the Titans. They had a visit scheduled with Mike Williams as well, but he signed with the New York Jets before the Steelers had a chance to sign him.
The misses continued for the Steelers in the trade market. They failed to land Aiyuk at the end of training camp when he signed a new deal with the San Francisco 49ers. They missed out on Adams, despite reportedly submitting a strong offer, and now they find themselves desperate for help without many options.
A silver lining for the Steelers is that the current receivers on the team seem to be flourishing ever since Russell Wilson became the starting quarterback. Pickens has been productive, and Calvin Austin III and Van Jefferson have taken a noticeable step forward while catching passes from Wilson.
